Out of the past: April 3

1998

Cape Girardeau Board of Education members last night unanimously favored only one of 14 recommendations they received from school administrators, staff and patrons to reduce the operating budget for the 1998-99 school year; the school district has deficit spent in the past three fiscal years and needs to identify ways to cut about $1 million from its operating budget for the coming year; all board members last night seemed to agree the estimated $170,000 the district would save by implementing an early retirement incentive for teachers would be a positive move.

Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed Cape Girardeau resident John Tlapek to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents yesterday; Tlapek, 39, is part owner of Faz West Inc., a restaurant development corporation, and Cape Electrical Supply Inc.; he also operates Auto Tire and Parts in Cape Girardeau; he is a member of the Southeast Missouri State University President's Council, a group whose members are major financial donors to the school; Tlapek graduated from Southeast in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in management.

1973

The untiring fight to prevent flooding Mississippi River water from topping the 18-mile flank levee of the Miller City Levee and Drainage District in Alexander County, Illinois, continues, while another private levee that protects about 5,000 acres of Big Island south of Commerce, Missouri, was topped during the night; hundreds of volunteers have been working around the clock to save the Miller City levee, including nearly 300 Southeast Missouri State University students -- residents of the Towers Complex; the predicted crest remains unchanged: 43.5 feet here on Saturday.

Ten initial members were appointed Monday to the new Cape Girardeau County Planning and Zoning committee, one from each of the townships in the county; named by the County Court were Marvin Ludwig, Gene Nitsch, Earl James, Clyde Quade, Randy Nussbaum, Daniel Stroder, Norman H. Weiss, Charles Engelhart, Jimmy Joe Below and Roy Robins; County Judge Edwin W. Sander will serve as temporary chairman, and county highway superintendent Otto W. Fluegge is automatically a member of the commission.

1948

Fugitives from the flooded areas of the Smelterville suburb are residing in three temporary shelters -- tents -- provided by the Red Cross; the tent city in Houck Woods is sheltering 28 families; other quarters are being provided at the Link Trainer building at the municipal airport, in which 11 families are living, and at the Masonic Hall on Sprigg Street, where 14 Black families are quartered temporarily; the Red Cross has given aid to 29 other families as well.

Cape Girardeau Central High School, now densely populated with 511 pupils and a total of 655 expected next January, will have an enrollment of 873 pupils 12 years hence, if estimates provided by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. hold true; the school board is, of course, planning to have a new high school building by the time the peak enrollment arrives; the land is purchased, but efforts to move ahead have been cut short by the high cost of building materials.

1923

An official notice for the opening of Themis Street, running west from Pacific Street, is published in The Southeast Missourian; this project has been before the Cape Girardeau City Council for years and, when completed, will make a great improvement in that part of town; upon request of the council, the utilities company has agreed to lay water pipe and put in fire plugs in the district west of Pacific and south of Broadway; this will give water service to that section that is now being improved with the West End sewer.

Esco D. Langston, overseer for the Cape Girardeau Special Road District for the past five years, and engaged in road work in this county for 11 years, has assumed his new duties as overseer of maintenance for the state; Langston will oversee the maintenance work on all state roads in Cape Girardeau County and will also supervise Highway 9, Kingshighway, as far south as Sikeston, Missouri.

-- Sharon K. Sanders